Airplane hits, kills soldier and daughter on Fla. beach

A nine-year-old girl hit by a plane that crash-landed on a Florida beach on Sunday has died from her injuries. Her father was also was killed in the incident. Linda So reports.

Associated Press
7:07 p.m. EDT July 29, 2014

This photo provided by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office shows emergency personnel at the scene of a small plane crash in Caspersen Beach in Venice, Fla. Authorities say a father was killed and his daughter seriously injured while walking on the sand when a small plane crash landed along Florida's Gulf Coast near Venice Beach.(Photo: AP Photo/Sarasota County Sheriff's Office)

Sarasota, Florida -- The 9-year-old girl who was injured when a plane crash landed on a Sarasota beach over the weekend has died.

Oceana Irizarry was at Caspersen Beach with her father, Sgt. 1st Class Ommy Irizarry, when a plane crashed along the shoreline. Ommy was killed, while Oceana was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.

The family issued the following statement on Tuesday morning:

Our precious Oceana has joined her daddy in heaven. She was nine years old. Oceana was a beautiful, intelligent and kind-hearted little girl. She was a natural artist who loved to learn. She was looking forward to the 4th grade.

Ommy, a Sergeant First Class in the Army, was a beloved husband, father, son, brother, friend and soldier. He lit up the room whenever he entered and was devoted to his family.

There are no words to describe the suffering we are experiencing. Their loss is devastating to our family and to everyone who knew them. Thank you to our many loved ones, friends and strangers for your outpouring of love and prayers.

Although they are gone, Ommy and Oceana live on through organ donation. Forever, they will be in our hearts. To all of those who helped us on the beach and medical personnel, thank you for your efforts to save them. We will always be grateful to All Children's Hospital for your skilled and loving care of Oceana and our family.

In sorrow, the Irizarry and Power families.

The Irizarry family was vacationing from Georgia, as Ommy was celebrating his ninth wedding anniversary with his wife. Around 3 p.m Sunday, the Sarasota Sheriff's Office says the pilot a 1972 Piper Cherokee, 57-year-old Karl Kokomoor, reported that his single engine plane couldn't make It back to the airport and he was going to try and land on Caspersen Beach.

"That's what he did at the edge of the water; at the edge of the sand pilot and passenger escaped unharmed," says Wendy Rose, Public Information Officer with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Unfortunately, the Irizarry family was walking on the beach at that time, and the plane hit 36-year-old Ommy Irizarry and his young

Ommy Irizarry was an Army sergeant stationed in Fort Stewart, Georgia.

"This is a heart-wrenching situation, especially losing loved ones while on vacation to celebrate a family milestone," 3rd Infantry Division and Stewart-Hunter commander Maj. Gen. Mike Murray said in a written statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Irizarry family."

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.

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SARASOTA (AP) — A father was killed and his daughter seriously injured while walking along a Florida beach when a small plane crash landed Sunday on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf, authorities said.

Ommy Irizarry, 36, and his daughter Oceana Irizarry, 9, were walking on the beach and were apparently injured by the plane.

Wendy Rose, a spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, said the pilot, Karl Kokomoor, 57, and passenger, David Theen, 60, weren't hurt when the Piper aircraft lost power and touched down Sunday afternoon near Venice Beach. Both men are from Englewwod.

The Venice airport received a distress call at 2:45 p.m. Sunday that the plane couldn't make it back to the airport.

"They were contacted by the pilot whose small plane was in distress. He knew he couldn't make it back to the airport and was going to try to land on the beach. And he did land at the edge of the water on the beach," Rose added.

Rose said the girl was airlifted to a children's hospital where she was apparently in critical condition.

A small plane was forced to make an emergency landing on a Florida beach on Sunday afternoon, killing a father and critically injuring his daughter. The pilot, Karl Kokomoor, and his passenger, David Theen, were unharmed.

Photos and video footage taken at the scene showed the Piper Cherokee, its nose pointed down and nearly touching white sans only feet from a gentle lapping surf. The left wing appeared to extend over the water's edge. A police boat was anchored nearby and a law enforcement officer stood close by. Bystanders gawked from a distance.

Workers prepare to remove the crashed plane from Caspersen Beach in Venice. WTSP

Pictures of Ommy Irizarry and his family. Irizarry was killed when a plane crashed on Casperson Beach Sunday afternoon, and his 9-year-old daughter Oceana was seriously injured. Sadly, Oceana later died. Family photos

A vacationing soldier was killed and his 9-year-old daughter critically injured Sunday while walking along a Bay area beach when a small plane crash landed on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf. WTSP

A vacationing soldier was killed and his 9-year-old daughter critically injured Sunday while walking along a Bay area beach when a small plane crash landed on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf. WTSP

A vacationing soldier was killed and his 9-year-old daughter critically injured Sunday while walking along a Bay area beach when a small plane crash landed on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf. WTSP

A vacationing soldier was killed and his 9-year-old daughter critically injured Sunday while walking along a Bay area beach when a small plane crash landed on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf. WTSP

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Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told The Associated Press in an email that the FAA was investigating. She said the plane reportedly lost power and landed on the sand near Caspersen Beach in Venice but she had no further details as of Sunday evening.

National Transportation and Safety Board investigators have headed to the site.

"We don't know exactly what caused the crash but the NTSB is en route and will investigate," added Rose, a community affairs manager for the sheriff's office.